The Jail Break

It seems for some horses boundaries are meant to be pushed. Fences are nothing more than suggestions. And if you’re big enough to do it, why not go ahead and step across?

And that’s exactly what’s been going on.

We have a rather new horse in the pasture – a young black horse that is way too big for his own good. This big boy doesn’t seem to be the brightest bulb in the box. Except when it comes to breaking down fence. He’s a master at that.

So he has been giving the pasture caretakers fits.

He’s learned that he can just step across the taped off fences they’ve erected to rotate the pastures, and munch away on the grass on the other side. Something about the grass always being greener on the other side of the fence!

Once he took the first step into the dark side, many others followed.

Remember that golden oldie nugget of parenting where your mother (or father) encouraged you to make decisions for yourself instead of following the pack?

She’d look you square in the eye and ask, “If your friend jumped off a cliff, would you follow?” And you would reply with some smark aleck comment.

At least horses don’t talk back, though they have their own versions of smart aleck remarks.

This has made me think about how often I follow the herd, without so much as a thought about what I really want, or what behaviors align with my own moral compass.

I’m not jumping off cliffs or trying drugs, or robbing banks, so you can breathe a sigh of relief if you were worried.

I am confident that on the “big decisions” I can navigate my own path.

But I have to admit that on some of the smaller ones, I do sometimes take a lead from the group I’m with. I’ve ordered that second glass of wine, or chocolate cake because others in my group suggested it, even though I really didn’t want it.

This business of walking one’s own path seems to be an everyday opportunity/challenge.

P.S. As far as I know, the two Golden Girls (Pepper and Chickadee) had nothing to do with the jail break. If they did, they aren’t talking! That little nugget of wisdom also comes with age and experience.

1 comment

You know, I think I’ve often been the fence-breaker! And I love it when others follow me in! Sometimes it leads to great fun, but your story shows us that it all depends on what perspective you are viewing it from, right? I like this new Big Boy!! I hope we hear more about him!